A great half an hour this morning watching a pair of Bonelli’s Eagle being mobbed and generally harassed by a pair of Peregrine Falcon. It was also interesting to see the plumage differences of the two eagles and the size differential between the male and female Peregrine – the female being the larger.

Have waited many years to see one of these and was excited today to see the one found by Spyros Spyrou earlier in the week, thanks to directions from Tony Reeves. Great to get this lifer but the bird had no sense of the occasion insisting on posing tantalisingly close to me – always with a few twigs in front 🙄. Anyhow here are the slightly better ones – you can’t have everything it seems!!!

Continuing October’s run of either being out of the country when they are around or dipping on the month’s rarities, today was no exception! No sign of the Eurasian Oystercatcher, Common Rosefinch or even the Eurasian Bittern, found by local birders Ian & Kate Bloomer and Matt Smith today at Akrotiri, by the time I got there.

So instead I spent some time just sitting in the hide at Phasouri Reed-beds watching this juvenile Little Bittern hunting through the reeds.

No sign today of the Black-winged Kite that was seen at Phasouri Reed-beds yesterday morning which was disappointing. Spent some time watching this female Common Kingfisher which cheered me up (See photo). Elsewhere around Akrotiri I found Spotted Crake, Water Rail, Little Bittern, Great Reed Warbler, Red-throated Pipit, Bluethroat, Common Crane, a Western Marsh and a Hen Harrier, two European Honey Buzzard, four Eleonora’s Falcon and a few Eurasian Sparrowhawk so I can’t really complain!

A good day around Akrotiri with highlights two Spotted Crake, a juvenile Common Crane and three Little Swift plus my first Bluethroats, Common Stonechat and Common Buzzard of the winter. Raptor migration has slowed to a trickle but I did see small numbers of Red-footed and Eleonora’s Falcon, Eurasian Hobby, European Honey Buzzard, Western Marsh Harrier and a single Osprey.

Raptor counts at Cape Greco this autumn have been quiet so far but there was more activity this morning with several Black Kite (photo), European Honey Buzzard, Western Marsh, Pallid and Montagu’s Harrier and Peregrine Falcon migrating south over the area.